Strawberry Salsa Marinated Chicken

And because what goes into our bodies should be the best, so I've used Karv Meat's which provides a monthly box service, and is flexible to meet your needs. Every Karv Meals subscription is designed to make life easier—and just a bit more delicious. Their fresh, premium cuts are perfectly trimmed and portioned. At less than $7 per portion for every plan size, eating healthy has never been so convenient.

I used their Chicken Breast for this meal, and honestly one of my favorite things is that Karv trims the extra fat off of their meats before they flash freeze it at it's peak freshness. And their meats are pre-portioned so you can cook how much you want, when you want. Once you choose what you want, the package you chose arrives on your doorstep every month. So all I need to do is choose to cook the meat from it's frozen condition, or thaw it first. Then open the packaging, and place it into the Strawberry-Balsamic Reduction Marinade that I created, and cook it. If you would like to try out what I made, below is the recipe.

Ingredients for the Ginger-Carrot Puree:

2 Large Carrots (outer layer peeled off, roughly chopped)
½ teaspoon of Fresh Ginger Root (peeled and cut into small coins)
1 Small Garlic Clove
½ Shallot (roughly chopped)
1 ½ Cup SteampunkyElf Style Bone Broth¹ (reserved for later use)
½ Cup Whole Milk (reserved for later use)
½ Teaspoon Table Salt (reserved for later use)
¼ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper (reserved for later use)

 Ingredients for the Strawberry-Balsamic Reduction Marinade:

2 pints of Strawberries (tops cut off, roughly chopped, and mashed)
2 cups Balsamic Vinegar
30 Fresh Mint Leaves
1 Whole Clove
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Brown Sugar
Pinch Nutmeg

Ingredients to Make the Strawberry Salsa:

1 Pint of Strawberries (Diced)
1 Large Tomatillo (Diced)
¼ Cup Yellow Onion (Diced)
¼ Cup Basil Leaves (Minced)
3 Tablespoons Strawberry-Balsamic Reduction
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
¾ Teaspoon Salt
¼ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Feta Cheese Crumbles (Amount used per your discretion)

Directions to make the Strawberry-Balsamic Reduction Sauce:²

Place all of the ingredients into a medium sized pot over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.
Once you begin to see it smoke, reduce the temperature to simmer, and continue to stir occasionally.
The sauce should thicken and look like a very dark red color, approximately 20 minutes.
Remove pot from heat and allow to cool completely.
Using a mesh strainer, strain most of the liquid into a second pot. Press down to strain as much of the reduction sauce.
Using a cheesecloth, strain the liquid again to remove any additional debris.
Set the Strawberry-Balsamic Reduction Sauce to the side until ready to use.

Directions to make the Carrot-Ginger Puree:³

1. Place chopped carrots, ginger, shallot, and garlic in a steaming pot and bring to a boil.
2. Once at a boil, reduce heat to simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
4. Once cooled off, place inside a blender or food processor and add in salt, pepper, SteampunkyElf Bone Broth, and milk.
5. Pulse until all ingredients are liquefied into a thick viscosity.
6. Set the Carrot-Ginger Puree to the side until needed to plate.

Directions to Make the Main Dish:

1. Marinate the Karv chicken in the Strawberry-Balsamic Reduction Sauce for at least an hour in an oven-safe glass pan; for best results, prepare the sauce the day before and marinate the Karv chicken overnight, reserving 3 Tablespoons to make the Strawberry Salsa.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F
3. Once the oven is at temperature, place the marinated Karv chicken breast uncovered into the oven and set the time for 20 minutes for 1 or 2 Karv chicken breasts.
4. Approximately 10 minutes prior to the Karv chicken being finished cooking, place the ingredients for the Strawberry Salsa into a saute pan, except for the Feta Cheese which will be reserved until the dish is ready to be plated and served. Stir the Strawberry Salsa over low heat to warm it, then set it to the side for plating.
5. At the same time, pour the Carrot-Ginger Puree inside a medium sized pot. Heat the Carrot-Ginger Puree, stirring occasionally, over medium-high heat. Once it is warmed, remove from heat and set to the side until ready to plate.
6. Once the Karv chicken has finished cooking, remove from the oven and begin plating.
7. Taking two spoonfuls (approximately 1/3 cup) of the Carrot-Ginger Puree, spoon it onto the plate.
8. Place the cooked Karv chicken breast on top of the puree.
9. Using a separate spoon, add one ladle of the Strawberry Salsa over the Karv chicken.
10. Sprinkle desired amount of Feta cheese over the Strawberry Salsa.

I know that with Spring just around the corner we are all thinking: bathing suits, shorts, and tank tops OH MY! But you need not worry, there are plenty of healthy and delicious meals that you can make while getting beach-ready. And while this recipe is a little more involved, it is absolutely worth trying out.

You won't need to use all of the Strawberry-Balsamic Marinade in one shot, unless of course you're making a large quantity of chicken breasts. However, the reduction sauce I created is universal; you can use it as a marinade for just about any protein, or you can set some aside and mix it with a nice Olive Oil to use it as a salad dressing. Or if you would like, you can take 1/3 cup of the Strawberry-Balsamic Reduction Sauce and add 1 Tablespoon of Honey to it and use it to dip fruits in, or to drizzle on a dessert or yogurt parfait.

If you would like to enjoy the ease of not having to scour the aisles of grocery stores for quality meats, and instead have them delivered right to your front door, you can click on the link here: https://karvmeals.com or on the highlighted Karv Meals name above.

¹You can substitute any kind of store-bought broth if you wish to skip making my SteampunkyElf Bone Broth recipe from scratch.
²I highly recommend making the Strawberry-Balsamic Reduction Sauce the day before in order to marinate the chicken longer and obtain the best-achieved level of flavor.
³The Carrot-Ginger Puree will yield more than needed for 2 to 4 portions. Since it is condensed, you can use the left-overs by adding extra stock to turn it into a soup for the next day.